Damage to structures caused by flooding are well known and over the years various devices have been developed to try to mitigate the damage. Since it is reported that a significant amount of flood damage in the U.S. is caused by flood having height in less than 1 meter of water, effective devices can be provided that protect against flood levels of only a few feet.
While there are a number of devices designs that form barriers using cylinders, sleeves or oblong chambers filled with water or air and placed on the earth in the path of water stream or around regions that require protection, the use of sandbags remains a popular and conventional response. While the materials used for sandbagging efforts are relatively inexpensive and effective, the filling of bags is labor intensive and, after the flood has subsided the bags present a significant disposal problem with respect to labor and space.
There have been many efforts to provide improvements over the sandbagging solution for flood protection. Such devices include those made from watertight tube-like sleeves chambers, balloons, and other members made from a flexible material such as synthetic resin and composites.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,928 to Lofton offers a mobile system that uses augers for fastening to the ground and a rigid flange that is integrated to inflatable cylinders (tubular sleeves) by means of netting positioned over tubular sleeve that is anchored on opposite sides of tubular sleeve by said augers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,392 to Taylor discloses a water filled structure used to construct temporary dikes. The device is directed to two identical elongated flattened cylinders which are sealed at opposite lateral ends to form a sealed, watertight chamber within a cylinder. The cylinders are joined by a flexible web. Several modules may be stacked in an interlocking structure of any desired height without the use of fastening elements. These blocks are the constructive “bricks” intended for forming a laterally interlocking structure and cannot form a continuous protective barrier.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,373 Jenkins J. T. describes a temporary flood control system comprising elongated flexible, inflatable, tubular members secured to each other and adapted to be disposed on the ground for anchoring a generally sheet like vertically extendable barrier wall or an inflatable tubular barrier sleeve disposed above and connected to the ballast members. These members are at least partly fillable with ballast, and may be inflated with pressurized air.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,362 to Carter et al describes a dike system consisting of two different tube-like sleeves that are fastened to each other. A skirt-cloth extends from the front side of the barrier abutting against the floodwaters to prevent water leakage under the dike.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,767 (Dooleafe, D, 1992) discloses a barrier formed from a pair of water filled elongate flexible chambers and that may incorporate additional flexible water filled bag in the ends thereof as anchors. U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,300 to Doolaege, discloses flexible sleeves including a zipper but the system lacks a rigid framing system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,329 to Clement discloses a barrier formed by a plurality of tube-like elongate flexible sleeves connected by straps.
The publication of Harry, 20020110424 discloses an elongated liquid-tight container filled with a liquid and includes an eyelets that receive stakes to secure the system to the ground. The patent to Baruh, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,870 discloses an inflatable dike structure for protecting houses and roadways.
While there have been many devices directed at flood water barriers, there remains a need for an inexpensive device that can be rapidly implemented during imminent flood conditions, assembled without skilled labor using conventional tools. The present invention is thereby directed at an alternative flood protective system for structures that is inexpensive, reusable, effective and relatively easy to assemble, disassemble and store.